System for teledynamically controlling moving bodies



March 18, 1924; 1,486,88fi' J. H. HAMMOND. JR

SYSTEM FOR TELEDYNAMIGALLY CONTROLLING MOVING BODIES Original Filed June 5, 1914 2 Sheets-Sheet l min/eases [Haven/@02 5%16144 Q- wmm Johmlfay sfla zmmamd, Jar.

- by %wy@ March 18, 1924. 1,486,886

J. H. HAMMOND, JR

SYSTEM FOR TELEDYNAMICALLIY CONTROLLING MOVING BODIES Original Filed June 5, 1914 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Mimesses lease at. 18,1924.

teases JOHN HAYS MOND, JR., 01: GLOUCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS.

Application filed fine 3, 1914, Serial To all whom it may concern: 7

Be it known that I, J OHN HAYS HAMMOND, Jr., a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Gloucester, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, have in vented an Improvement in Systems for Teledynamically Controlling Moving Bodies, of which the following description, in connection with. the accompanying drawings,

is a specification, like characters on the drawings representing like parts.

This invention relates to systems for teledynamically controlling moving bodies, and particularly to means for controllin position indicating means upon such odies. The invention is applicable to moving bodies adapted to travel in water, upon land, or through the air, but is peculiarly adapted for use in connection with torpedo boats, the

movement-s whereof are controlled from a distant station.

In order that the principle of the invention may be readily understood, I have dis? closed a single embodiment of the invention in the accompanying drawings, wherein- Fig. 1 is a somewhat diagrammatic representation of a war ship and the course of an attacking torpedo or other craft provided with position indicating means in accordance with my invention Fig. 2 is a side elevation of a vessel, such as a torpedo boat, embodyin my invention;

Fig. 3 is a view, partial y in elevation, partially in vertical section and partially. diagrammatic of position indicating means and controlling means therefor responsive to radiant energy;

Fig. 4 is a. transverse the line 1-4 of Fig. 3;

section taken upon Fig. 5 is a detail in side elevation of the structure shown in Fig. 4,

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 5, but viewing the structure at a position circumferentially removed by ninety degrees therefrom; and

Fig. 7 is a vertical section of valve shown in Fig. 3.

My invention relates to a system for the control of moving bodies by radiant energy and particularlfy to the control from a distant station 0 position indicatin means mounted upon or carried by such body. The movable body may be of any suitable char the rotary No. 842,764.' Renewed July 24, 1923.

acter, and preferably is one controlled b radiant energy of any desired nature, suc

as sound, light or electromagnetic Waves, but which consists preferably of electromagnetic waves emitted from the control station. The movable body may be a water, land or air craft, such as a vessel, vehicle or aeroplane, but herein I have represented my invention as applied to a vessel 1, which may be of any suitable type. The said vessel is equipped with suitable means responsive to radiant energy emitted from the distant control station, and herein I have represented the vessel as having masts 2, 3, sup.- porting an antenna 4, indicated diagrammatically in Fig. 3. In Fig. 3, I have diagrammatically indicated at 4 the antenna of an open, oscillatory circuit 5 operatively connected to the winding 6 of a closed, oscillatory circuit 7 having therein suitable condensers 8, 9 and a suitable detector 10 of electrical oscillations.

tive relay 11 or other suitable contact mak- 1ng device with which is connected at circuit 12- having therein a batter or other source of electromotive force an having a solenoid 1-1 adapted to bev energized upon the receipt of electromagnetic waves by the saidcircuit 5. The said solenoid is provided with a. core 15, and in any suitable manner I impart movement thereby to a part or mechanism adapted to function in the control of the vessel to effect steering thereof, andvsuch other control as may be desired, as for example the starting and stopping of the engine, and also the action of the indicating'mechanism, to which my invention more particularly relates.

For this purpose, I may provide any suitable mechanism, but preferably I provide a valve of thegeneral type shown in my copending application Serial No. 816.600, filed February 4, 1914, and with which I associate suitable devices and retarding mechanism, whereby the said valve may actin the control of a plurality of functionin mechanisms upon the vessel orother mova le body. Through said valve or any other suitable means, I effect steering of the vessel by im- The said closed, oscillatory circuit is providediwith a sensi-' arting suitable movement to its rudder, and r of the piston therein,

- it is invisible to an enemy means may be functioning parts or devices. The said valve may be of the general construction shown in said application, and is preferably provided with suitable passages whereby not only may a I control the flow of fluid under pressure, such as compressed air, in order to admit suchfluid into a cylinder at opposite sides thereby to move said piston and hence therudder to starboard or to port, but I may also admit, .when desired, fluid under pressure to controlthe position indicating mechanism. In a previous application filed by me, disclosed a movable body, having thereon a source of light and cooperating means, such as a gyroscope, for maintaining or positioning the light so that but visible to an control station. In the present application, I have disclosed position indicating means having a visible surface, the position of which surface may be varied, preferably by radiant energy, from the -control station, so that such position indicating observable only periodically or at the desire or determination of the operator at the control station. Such position indicating means may be of any. suitable such as a vessel,

observer at the character, but preferably I provide one or more vanes which, when in indicating position, may be presented substantially broadside to the observer, so that the position of i the vessel or other body may be determined.

Preferably I employ means whereby when it is not desired to determine the position or direction of movement of the body, the said position indicating means is rendered "substantially invisiblejor diflicult of visual inspection or study.

In represented one form of position indicating mechanism, I have indicated the deck of the 9 cumscribed into a cylin er .20, the

nected at. intervals therefrom are a series shown as four'in number, arrangedin suitable relation and conby encircling bands or Positioned within the space cirby said bands or rings 18, I mount in suitable guides or bearings, a vertical shaft 19, the lower end of which extendsthrou h an opening in the deck and head 21 of which is secured at 22 to the under side of the deck.

vessel at 16. Rising rings 18.

' The said shaft 19 is provided at its lower end double cranked portion 26 of an arm 27,

within the cylinder20 with a piston head 23 reciprocable within the cylinder... At suitable intervals the shaft 19 has fast thereon collars 24, extending from each of'which are parallel'arms 25 having mounted therein the! car ing at its outer ends a pair of vanes 28, 8 of an suitable extent and character. The prefera ly radially extending portions of the arms 27, 27 are mounted for rotative movement at 29,29 in the corresponding impart movement Serial No. 756,273, I have suitable means may Figs. 3 to 6 inclusive, wherein I have tive fluid into ring I or. band 18, whereb when rocking movement is im arted to t e crank portion 26 of said arm, tlie vanes are turned through preferably ninety degrees, so that the surfaces thereof may be presented substantially broadside to'thedistant observer, or

may be presented edgewise to him, in which latter case the vanes are substantially invisible to the-observeras well as'tofthe enem Any suitable means to said vanes 28. In any axial movement suitable -manner, I impart 19. Preferably,

to the shaft or piston rod may be-employe to however, I provide the rotary valve 30,. to I which I .have referred, and connect a suitable by-pass orother passage thereof by pipe 31 to the cylinder 20, whereby fluid under pressure from any suitable reservoir may. be admitted into the cylinder before the piston head 23, so as to elevate the shaft or to turn each of the piston rod 19 and thereby vanes through substantlally ninety degrees and to position them broadside to the observer, as indicated in Figs. 3 and 5. -Any said vanes to edgewise position, but ably for the purpose I, emp coiled about the shaft or piston rod 19 above the piston head 23 thereof. The rotary valve 30 may be turned step by step in any suitable manner, it-bein'g preferably such that it is successively and alternately turned to active and neutral positions. Herein for the purpose ,I .have represented the valve as having loose thereon a gear 33 provided with a pawl 34 adapted to engage the'teeth of a ratchet.35 fast upon the spindle 36 of said valve, so that the valve may step-by-step'in one direction only- Meshing with the gear 33 is a rack 37 upon the piston preferrod 38 mounted within a suitable cylinder 39;

be provided to return loy a spr1ng'32 V be rotated and provided therein with a pistonhead 40. I

The piston rod in the direction of the arrow adjacent there-v to by motive fluid, such as compressed air,

38 is adapted to be moved admitted through a plpe 41 from any suitable reservoir.

The admissionof fluid into the cylinder 39through the pipe 41 is controlled by a valve42 formed upon orconnected wlth the solenoid having an admission port 43 and an exhaust port 44. When the solenoid 14 is energized,

core 15, said valve the core 15 is moved in the direction of the;

arrow adjacent thereto, so as to bring the port 43 into register with the port 45 in the wall of the cylinder 39, so as to admit mosaid cylinder, and therebythrough the rack 37 to rotate the rotary valve through preferably ninety degrees. Upon de-energization of the solenoid, it is reurned to the position indicated in Fig. 3, whereby the exhaust port/44 is brought into register with the-exhaust of the cylinder 39. Enclrcling the piston 'rod 38 within the cylinder 39 is a coil port 46 in the wall vanes of the series A, A,

and as herein indicated in Fig.

affording the enemy,

ninety degrees from the vanes A. These two pairs of vanes pertain to two series and each succeeding pair of vanes of each series is positioned at a suitable angle circumferentially' in advance of the last'preceding pair of vanes of that series. For example 3, the pair of vanes A are advanced about thirty degrees with relation to the vanes A, and the pair of vanes a are advanced thirty degrees 7 with respect to the pair of vanes a, and so on throughout the two series. As herein rep resented, each series of vanes twice encircles the uprights 17. Other suitable arrangement of vanes or visible surfaces may, however, be employed instead.

Preferably the vanes of the two series are contrastingly colored; for example, the may be colored white and those of the vanes a, a may be colored black, thus rendering said vanes, or certain of them, readily accessible in any light when the vanes are turned into the position indicated in Fig. 3. When the observer at the control station wishes to determine the position or course of the vessel, he sends a suitable impulse or series of impulses, thereby to turn the rotary valve 30 into such position that motive fluid is admitted through the pipe 31 into the cylinder 20, whereby during the period of continuation of said impulse or impulses, the vanes are observably positioned.

From the foregoing description, it will be evident that I have provided means whereby at any desired time the position indicating mechanism upon the vessel ma be rendered visible, preferably momentari y only, thus who is not anticipating the movement of the position indicating means,-substantially-no opportunity for observation thereof.

Having thus described one illustrative embodiment of my invention, I desire it to be understood that although specific terms are employed, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense and not for purposes of limitation, the scope of the invention being set forth in the following claims.

Claims:

1. A system for the control of moving bodies by radiant energy, comprising in combination a mgvable body I of steering means carried thereby,

provided with" a visible signal carried thereby and movable with respect thereto about a substantiall horizontal axis to vary the eifective VlSlbility of said signal, steering means carried by said body, and means responsive to radiant energy to control said steering means and to move said signal about said axis.

2. The combination with a movable body of steering means carried thereby, a plurality of signals carried by said body and rotatable withrespect thereto about a plurality of axes respectively to vary the effective visibility of said signals by varying the areas of the horizontal projections of said signals on a. vertical plane, and means responsive to radiant energy to control said steering means and to move said signals about said axes saidaxes being arranged in intersecting vertical planes.

3. The combination With a movable body, of steering means carried thereby, a plurality of signals carried by said body and rotatable with respect thereto about a plurality of axes respectively to vary the effective visibility of said signals from a given point by varying the horizontal projections of said signals upon .a vertical plane, said axes being fixed with respect to said bod and being normally substantially horizontal: and means responsive to radiant energy for. controlling said steering means and rotating said si als about said axes.

4. T e combinationwith a movable body of steering means carried thereby, a plurality of signals carried by said body and rota table with respect thereto about a plurality of axes respectively to vary the efiective visibility of said signals from a given point by varying the horizontal projections of said signals upon a vertical plane, said axes being fixed with respect to said body and being normally substantially horizontal, and means responsive to radiant energy for controlling said steering means and for rotating1 said signals about said axes simultaneous 5. The combination with a movable body, of steering means carried thereby, a guiding signal carried by said body, means responsive to radiant energy and operable to control said steering means and to vary the effective visibility of said signal.

6. The combination with a movable body, a guiding signal carried by said body, and means respcnsive to radiant energy and operable to control said steering means and to vary the effective visibility of said signal from, a point substantially in horizontal alinement to said signal.

7. The combination with a movable bod of steering means carriedthereby, a guiding signal carried by said body and with respect thereto, and means responsive to radiant energy for controllingl guiding signal said steering means and for varying t e efi'ective Y visibility of said signal from a given point sublsfantially' in horizontal .alinement therewit v v 8. The combination with a movable body, of steering means carried thereby, a visible carried by said body and movable with respect thereto to vary .the horizontal projection of said signal upon a vertical plane, and means responsive to radiant energy for gu ding said body and for controlling said signal to vary the effective visibility of said signal from given points substantially in horizontal 'alinement with 15 said signal.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN HAYS HAMMOND, JR.

Witnesses: v

e F. J. Bnlm,

JNO. P. Konnnnn. 

